{"id":21027,"date":"2023-06-10T21:47:24","date_gmt":"2023-06-11T01:47:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/investing\/youre-probably-brushing-your-teeth-wrong-this-dentist-says-which-has-tongues-wagging\/"},"modified":"2023-06-10T21:47:26","modified_gmt":"2023-06-11T01:47:26","slug":"youre-probably-brushing-your-teeth-wrong-this-dentist-says-which-has-tongues-wagging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/?p=21027","title":{"rendered":"You\u2019re probably brushing your teeth wrong, this dentist says \u2014 which has tongues wagging"},"content":{"rendered":"

A British dentist has gone viral for suggesting that wetting your toothbrush before applying toothpaste is a big no-no, which has got plenty of tongues wagging on social media. It also led Google searches about \u201ctooth brushing\u201d and \u201chow to properly brush your teeth\u201d to spike this week, which coincidentally happens to be the beginning of Oral Health Month.<\/p>\n

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Dr. Sahil Patel, a London-based dentist with the Marylebone Smile Clinic, shared his views on proper brushing technique in a recent story in the British press. Patel\u2019s knock on pre-wetting the toothbrush is two-fold: First, he says it dilutes the toothpaste, which means that you\u2019re not getting its full benefit, fluoride and all.<\/p>\n

\u201cFluoride is only effective at a certain concentration,\u201d Patel told MarketWatch.<\/p>\n

And Patel points to another issue \u2014 namely, that by wetting the toothbrush, you\u2019re likely making the toothpaste foamier, which may result in you spitting it out and ending your brushing routine much earlier than you should. After all, the American Dental Association (ADA) recommends brushing twice daily \u2014 and for two minutes at a time.<\/p>\n

Patel says the ritual of wetting the toothbrush is really a carryover from the days when we relied on tooth powder, which was a precursor to toothpaste. And you needed to wet the brush to get the powder to stick. But because toothpaste can naturally adhere to your toothbrush, wetting the bristles is unnecessary today. But Patel concedes that the ritual just, well, cemented itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe habit stuck,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Certainly, maintaining good dental hygiene is important in terms of avoiding problems, such as gum disease, dental experts advise. And that\u2019s especially true at a time when Americans are spending more than ever to take care of their teeth and deal with dental issues.<\/p>\n

In 2021, Americans spent a record $162 billion on dental care, according to the ADA. That figure is expected to reach $230 billion by 2030, according to one government report. <\/p>\n

How does that break down? Filling a cavity costs around $150 on average, according to the ADA\u2019s 2020 survey of dental fees, as reported by Forbes. Pulling a tooth can run up almost $200, and getting a crown put on comes in at nearly $1,300. And plenty of people are paying out-of-pocket: Some 77 million American adults did not have dental insurance last year, according to a survey on inequities in oral health care run by the nonprofit CareQuest Institute for Oral Health.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, a recent ADA poll found that three out of four dentists plan to raise their fees in 2023.<\/p>\n

And the cost of neglecting your oral health can be even greater, as research has shown that gum disease and oral bacteria (which can result from not brushing your teeth and developing oral infections) have been linked to health complications such as\u00a0heart disease,\u00a0diabetes, dementia\u00a0and stroke. Even baseball great Alex \u201cA-Rod\u201d Rodriguez is teaming up with OraPharma, a dental-care pharmaceutical firm that\u2019s part of Bausch Health Companies
\n BHC,
\n +1.27%<\/bg-quote>,<\/span>
\n to raise gum disease awareness after learning he\u2019s suffering from it himself. <\/p>\n

Read more<\/strong>: Baseball legend Alex Rodriguez\u2019s new pitch: Raising awareness about gum disease<\/p>\n

Patel\u2019s advice not to pre-wet the toothbrush is resonating with some other dental practitioners.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re reducing the efficacy of the toothpaste,\u201d agreed Dr.\u00a0Dani\u00a0Benyaminy, a Los Angeles-based dentist. But Benyaminy does add one recommendation: You should rinse the toothbrush after brushing, \u201cso there\u2019s no bacteria sitting there.\u201d<\/p>\n

But others are not as convinced that pre-wetting is so bad.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a stretch for me,\u201d said Dr. William Graves, a Texas-based dentist who serves as a faculty member with the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center School of Medicine in Amarillo. He added, \u201cI\u2019d have to have some study to back up\u201d the pre-wetting concern.<\/p>\n

There are also some dental professionals who argue that there\u2019s an advantage to pre-wetting the toothbrush. The practice \u201cadds moisture, and for most people, makes the experience more pleasant,\u201d said Damien Walmsley of the British Dental Association.<\/p>\n

And what do the big toothpaste brands have to say on the pre-wetting subject? Officials with Colgate
\n CL,
\n +0.15%<\/bg-quote>
\n didn\u2019t respond to a MarketWatch request for comment, but the brand devotes a whole page on its website to the matter. (In the end, the brand doesn\u2019t weigh in, pro or con, but offers general advice on toothbrushing, via the ADA, including the benefits of using a brush with soft bristles.)<\/p>\n

Officials with Crest
\n PG,
\n +0.08%<\/bg-quote>,<\/span>
\n another major toothpaste brand, declined to comment for this story.<\/p>\n

Of course, some regular folks have chimed in with their opinions on Twitter and other social-media outlets, even before Patel\u2019s advice started getting passed around. Let\u2019s just say there are some pretty strong opinions on the subject, as in this example:<\/p>\n

But if there\u2019s one thing that Dr. Patel and other dentists can agree on, it\u2019s this: Regardless of whether you pre-wet your toothbrush or not, you should brush your teeth for two full minutes twice a day, as recommended by the ADA.<\/p>\n

In fact, the ADA also offers very detailed directions on brushing your teeth:\u00a0<\/p>\n